Source and Daemons
The Beginning Source In order to understand the Outer Night, there needs to be an understanding of the energy which grants this realm and the denizens within their life. I say life simply because it is a term most understood by mortals and immortals alike. We are not living beings, though neither are we dead ones. The exact comprehension of the Outer Night and the specialized energy which makes up its 'genetics' is something which fleshlings oft have difficulty grasping. First and foremost, there are two key elements to the energy which we have given the term of Source: • Living Source; the makeup of our minds, bodies, and souls. These three elements to a mortal person are typically entirely separate. For creatures embodied by Source, all three are one in the same. The exact distinction between Mind, Body, and Soul is... a complex notion. Our minds are our bodies, and our bodies are our Souls. • Non-living Source; which is the composition of the Outer night as we perceive it. This energy bears the appearance of stardust - to the naked eye. due to its state of nonliving, any who acquires the knowledge of proper Source manipulation is able to bend it to their will, not unlike how sorcerers manipulate Anima and Elemental magick. Understanding the key difference between Living and Nonliving Source is really quite a simple matter at first glance. Non-living Source is the very Outer Night which we dwell within, whilst Living Source is the denizens of the Outer Night. From here - as one digs deeper and deeper into this compendium, they shift the perspective from what to how. How indeed does one manipulate Source to their own desires? To those who become Daemon, it is a simple task of extending our Living Source into a metaphysical substance, which then becomes Non-living Source. Whilst within the Outer Night we might easily draw upon and twist the Source which surrounds us; however, should we ever venture beyond the reaches of our own realm and into one more physical and supporting the dwellings of fleshling beings, we need rely on our own Source - thus the term given. We are the Origin of our own energy, whilst the Outer Night is the Origin of us. Although Source in and of itself can be considered a Magick, so too is it not entirely Magickal in nature. Its most basic property in terms of what it can accomplish is transformative. Transmutation is the most common manner of applying Source to the physical realm. Although it is the very nature of Source to be outside of the rules - so to speak - there are yet still some limitations which cannot be overturned, no matter how determined the wielder is. These 'rules' are as follows: *Source cannot create Life. It can; however, be used to create faux-life within a dead being. *Due to Source being both Chaos and Order, it can be subsidized temporarily with either form of energy if the user is running low on their own Source *Although Source can mimic elemental Magick, it cannot entirely be used to manipulate the elements themselves nor create them. *If the user diminishes their Source, they must retreat back to the Outer Night, lest they risk fading from existence. *If a physical item is created with Source as its base, it will eventually wither away without a constant stream to keep it stable. Classes Elemental Magick has its own 'schools', or categories by which it is separated. Non-living Source follows a very similar notion; however, it is not so much as it is differing elements as it is the methods by which Source may be applied to the physical realm. To prevent any confusion, the categories of Source will be given the title of Class, which are as follows: •Transmutation• The act of changing one thing into another. Most mortals first think of transmuting coal into gold or perhaps water to wine. Such matter of Source Transformation is trivial; however, this is not a perfect system. If one were to take coal or stone from an Earth and then bring it to the Outer Night, they could transform it into gold or any other material for an indefinite amount of time. If they were to take it back to an Earth or merely cast the spell outside of the Outer Night, they would be required to perpetually fuel the transformation with their own Living Source. Should the influx of Source cease, the item in question will return to its original state. Depending on how long the spell had been maintained, there could be irreparable damage. •Conjuraton• Similarly to Transmutation, the act of Conjuration is to create Something from Nothing. By using one's own Living Source of the Non-living Source of the Outer Night, they can bring into existence almost anything they could possibly imagine. The more complex of a Conjuration, the greater Source and effort will need be applied. Before a Mortal thinks to find way to conjure food or water, one must bear in mind that - like Transmutation - when the Source fueling the spell is depleted, the Something which was created will return to Nothing, and thus fade from existence. In addition to this, Source Conjuration may also be applied to the deceased corpses of fleshling creatures or even 'dolls'. Faux-life created via Source is implanted into the vessel, thus granting it the ability to move freely or under the control of the caster. Once the Source fueling it fades, then it shall return to its previous, non-living state. •Divination• To Divine is to see the unseen, and to witness that which otherwise would be hidden from the naked eye. The act of Divination itself might seem rather simile and even child's play; however, the exact method could be considered difficult and even unnerving, as one must have total control of their own Source in order to successfully Divine. In the simplest of terms, the process of Divination is as follows: center your Living Source within your eye whilst tying a thread to another point in space and time. On the other side of this thread, sights shall be captured not unlike a silent film. This process leaves the caster entirely vulnerable, as they are unable to see anything around them due to their vision being applied elsewhere. On a lesser scale, one skilled in Divination could apply their Source to their eyes without the addition of a tied thread, granting them a sort of Enhanced Sight - or Third Eye, as some fleshling creatures refer to it as. With this technique, one can do precisely as the definition of Divine implies: see that which is not seen. •Illusion• One might ask themselves, "Why should I use illusions when I can merely transform my body into that which I wish to appear as?". The answer is as simple as, how much Source do you wish to expend in order to maintain such an appearance? Within the Outer Night, a Daemon may transform and change their bodies at will due to being entirely saturated and surrounded by Source. Should they depart to the physical realm, their Living Source maintains their being, and expending so much of it at once to maintain a certain figure can lead to True Death and disappearance. Thus, the solution to such wastefulness is to instead apply a lesser amount of Source into a veil of energy which surrounds their being to give the illusion of a differing appearance. This spell can be maintained for an extremely long length of time due to its almost passive nature. Daemon With the simplistic information above, one might finally begin to understand the concept of Daemons. We are beings of Source, and it would not be incorrect to say that we are Source. We are the beings which the Outer Night calls its children, for we were created or transformed by its saturated presence. Daemons are not Spirits, yet one would be correct in saying we are phantasmal. As stated above, we are not of the Living though so too are we not among the Dead. Many would have you believe that there is simply no such things as a 'grey area' between the Black and White; Dead and Alive, and yet... Here we are: beings which cannot be claimed by either side, though so too do we bear similarities to both. Every culture on every planet as their Demons. The foul spirits of the Underworld which rise from fiery pits to sweep across the lands suffering and despair. Whether these beings truly exist, I cannot provide the answer. What I can say; however, is that we are not Demons. The term Daemon versus Demon is more than a mere letter 'a' thrown in or the odd accent some might apply when reading the term aloud. Demons are associated with evil deeds and suffering, whilst Daemons are merely... non-human entities which may be either Evil or Good, depending upon the individual. Another such term in a different language would be the Yokai of Oriental folklore. Some display great wickedness, whilst others are peaceful or even seek to aid lost and weary mortals. One might expect me to list here the different kinds of Daemons and their typical design or livelihood; however, we are not a hive-mind with roles and positions which we need to keep in order for our metaphorical 'hive' to continue functioning. Most Daemons are entirely independent of others and live their lives in solitude or perhaps small family units. There is; however, one known organization - that I personally am made aware of and even consider myself part of. There exists within the Outer Night a Throne of Bones - handmade and conjured by a Daemon bearing the title of Grim Preceptor. She came to the Outer Night in the form of a fragmented Soul locked within a device I still have no name for, nor did she provide one for me. At a distance I observed her remaining Soul fragments alter and transform until she was at last complete again, though still lacking the traits of a true Daemon. She asked of both myself and others what the Outer Night was and who we were. I am sure other Daemons gave her differing answers than I. I do believe that the other Daemons who witnessed her transformation felt the very same as I. A certain respect perhaps for her tenacity, along with an underlying fear for the Evil which we could all see inside of her. In spite of this, she possessed a trait which neither myself nor the others who were brave enough to approach her did: a strong desire for greatness and a grand vision of conquest. She brought into existence this Throne of Bones, and whispered upon the Cosmic Winds a spell to draw forth a creature of the Outer Night... It is through this summoning that we Crossroads Daemons earn their distinction from the rest of them. The truly desperate and despondent call upon us, and we grant unto them that which they desire, but for a price. Sometimes it is merely knowledge, whilst for other deals there is a payment of monetary value. More often than not; however, it is the summoners very life and soul which is claimed by the Crossroads. Even now, I know not what our dearest Preceptor does with these collected Souls. The End Diminishing We are Source and Source is us. As I write these words, I recall the question my dearest Master asked of me... "When our Source is expended and faded, what will happen to us?" Even now I know not the answer to this inquiry. Never in all of my existence have I come across a Daemon who felt the need or desire to leave the Outer Night so frequently, nor has any before expended their Source so greatly that they were simply to disappear. The most logical assumption would be that the Daemon would simply cease to be, as our Source is the essence which makes up our Minds, Bodies, and Souls. Should one of us depart from the Outer Night and expend ourselves to where we no longer possess our Source, we shall... cease. What I can say for certain is that; should one of us Daemons find ourselves weakened to the point where a typical fleshling creature would perish and be drawn to the Underworld, we instead would find ourselves within the Outer Night once again. Our Bodies are merely a physical manifestation of our own Source, though if this physical form is damage to the point where it can no longer support itself, it shall crumble and we will appear to have 'died'. As stated in my previous sentence, we will not have been killed, but rather, the rest of our Source will return to the Outer Night. This does beg the question of what might happen if another being - Daemon or otherwise, siphons our Living Source until we have none left. I do not believe it to be entirely possible to manipulate the Living Source of another Daemon; however, if such a thing is proven to be possible, then I do believe that our Grim Preceptor would become something far more terrifying than she is even now. I pray she does not discover such a method. Apostasy I close then with this: Source in and of itself is neither Chaotic nor of Order. Daemons are neither Good nor Evil. We are individuals, we possess the higher thinking required to make such decisions on our own terms. For a nigh infinite amount of time we have existed amongst the Outer Night, and now I do believe that our place in this Multiverse is to become something entirely different. Dearest Master of Mine, the cards are in your hand it is your turn to make your move. The Outer Night and its denizens are watching you, and we are awaiting what your Grand Vision of Conquest shall become. Category:Grimoire Category:Journals